part IV, the big IR1/CR1 DQ'd message group...

[rainbow-skies 130]

POE Review - YYZ (Pearson Airport):
I received my passport in the mail on Mon Oct 25th and crossed POE at Pearson Airport on Tuesday Oct 26th. 

 

I was travelling with Air Transat - which operates out of Terminal 3. I got to the airport at around 3:30am. I checked in and processed my checked bags first with Air Transat, then proceeded to the security/customs line. At approximately 4am, the line was already with 15-20 people. Security opened at 430am, however despite my flight being at 7am and despite repeatedly stating I have to activate an immigrant visa, the security personnel proceeded to allow the 6am flights to go through security first. So there were now about 200 people ahead of me to go through security and customs; this caused me to get very nervous in case I was going to get held up in customs and consequently miss my flight.

 

By approx 5:10 am I was finally going through security. I then made it to customs around 520am. There were two lines filled with people waiting, but it moved pretty quickly. The first officer I got was very friendly. I told him I was activating a visa - he said they dont say "activating a visa" haha I got confused but just went with it. We proceeded to talk about living in the US and he was giving me advice on nursing in the US (which is what my job will be). He then verified my US address and walked me over to secondary. I was the first person in secondary, the officer there was very kind as well. All he asked me was to verify my US address and then he spent about 10-15 min just reviewing my electronic packet and then said I was good to go. By the time I was leaving secondary, there were about 4 people waiting in there. By 5:43am I was out of secondary and officially a lawful PR! I had just an hour to spare before my flight, despite all my nervousness. 

All in all it was a very smooth and swift process. Now I anxiously await my SSN!

 

Tips:
- Terminal 1 - Security opens at 6am, customs at 630am; Airlines - Air Canada and United
- Terminal 3 - Security opens at 430 am, customs at 5am; Airlines - Air Transat, Delta, american airlines
- no matter how early you get to the airport, even if you end up being first in the customs line -- they will still prioritize those on flights earlier than yours. 

 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,100]

1 hour ago, rainbow-skies said:

Tips:
- Terminal 1 - Security opens at 6am, customs at 630am; Airlines - Air Canada and United
- Terminal 3 - Security opens at 430 am, customs at 5am; Airlines - Air Transat, Delta, american airlines
- no matter how early you get to the airport, even if you end up being first in the customs line -- they will still prioritize those on flights earlier than yours. 

 

Thanks for this very useful information!

 

Congratulations on a successful crossing.

[Mintaftertaste 25]

9 hours ago, mam521 said:

Yeah, you have to give it a bit more time.  If you haven't gotten it in another 2 weeks, I'd go to the SSA.  

 

Also keep in mind the SSA seems to suffer from next to no training and hire very jobsworth types.  So, your first challenge will be determining IF your SSA office is open.  Secondly, it will be convincing the local office that you can, indeed, apply for a SSN with your MRIV and do not require your physical greencard to do so. 

 

You don't need your SSN to begin working.  Your temporary I-551 will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the I-9.  

I have been told that even if it doesn't hinge on employment, to get the paystub and earnings -some laws require that you have social security.

[mam521 1,816]

15 hours ago, Mintaftertaste said:

I have been told that even if it doesn't hinge on employment, to get the paystub and earnings -some laws require that you have social security.

I encourage you to read the I-9 instructions.  Yes, you will eventually need the number so your earnings can be reported to the IRS, but it's not imperative to start your job. 

 

I'm not saying avoid getting it for 6mo, I am saying no one can deny you work on the basis of incompetency of people not reading the DS-260 or not being able to get an immediate appointment with the SSA or the SSA agents not being trained and telling you you can't have a SSN because they won't accept your temporary I-551.  All of these items may hinder your ability to get the SSN in a timely manner. 

 

It's worth it to understand your American life is able to begin, irrespective of whether your SSN is in hand and that you can work on achieving the goal of receiving your SSN within a reasonable timeline and without persecution.  

[Nikasalts 10]

I haven't been here for a while....trying to focus on something else but than waiting. 

I need your advice. 

My husband (in US) is going through some hardcore emotional roller-coaster.

He had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder about 10 years ago. He's been doing fine until now. Seems like he's going through a manic episode, not coping with reality well. His friend and the police are looking for him (I reported him as a missing person). 

He will very likely end up in hospital   I'm devastated I can't be there for him. 

Do you guys think our situation gives me a valid reason to request expedited consular interview? 

It's obvious he can't be alone anymore but I don't know how immigration looks at mental disorders. Is it going to affect out case? 

I'm horrified there's not much I can do from here, and he needs me there

Any word of advice? 

[katelynns 36]

Got my Canada post tracking number today at 12:05 PM! No info available quite yet though. 
 

**question to those of you that changed your name and brought the new passport with your married name to interview… they still have me listed in my maiden name with my old passport number… is that normal? 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,100]

1 hour ago, Nikasalts said:

I haven't been here for a while....trying to focus on something else but than waiting. 

I need your advice. 

My husband (in US) is going through some hardcore emotional roller-coaster.

He had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder about 10 years ago. He's been doing fine until now. Seems like he's going through a manic episode, not coping with reality well. His friend and the police are looking for him (I reported him as a missing person). 

He will very likely end up in hospital   I'm devastated I can't be there for him. 

Do you guys think our situation gives me a valid reason to request expedited consular interview? 

It's obvious he can't be alone anymore but I don't know how immigration looks at mental disorders. Is it going to affect out case? 

I'm horrified there's not much I can do from here, and he needs me there

Any word of advice? 

So sorry to hear about your situation...

 

Sounds like the husband is the petitioner, in which case, yes, considering he needs you there to support him and care for him, in my opinion, it absolutely qualifies for an expedite. You will need to provide proof of his diagnosis, and perhaps a letter from the doctor saying his health would significantly benefit from you being there with him. 

 

I don't think mental illness on the part of the petitioner would cause any issues with immigration. His ability to maintain his financial status would be something you may need to demonstrate. If his illness will not impact his job/ income, I don't see any issue.

 

I hope your husband is found soon...

 

ps- Even without an expedite though, I think you will get an interview latest by January. Fingers crossed!

Edited October 29, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[Nikasalts 10]

12 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

So sorry to hear about your situation...

 

Sounds like the husband is the petitioner, in which case, yes, considering he needs you there to support him and care for him, in my opinion, it absolutely qualifies for an expedite. You will need to provide proof of his diagnosis, and perhaps a letter from the doctor saying his health would significantly benefit from you being there with him. 

 

I don't think mental illness on the part of the petitioner would cause any issues with immigration. His ability to maintain his financial status would be something you may need to demonstrate. If his illness will not impact his job/ income, I don't see any issue.

 

I hope your husband is found soon...

 

ps- Even without an expedite though, I think you will get an interview latest by January. Fingers crossed!

Thank you. I'm making an emergency flight to US on Monday. Will see what proof I can get. 

His condition may eventually impact his work, but not for as long as it's maintained well, but I can prove he was very capable of making a living and he still will ....if I can support him with the recovery. 

Fingers crossed 

[Twiz&Toz 240]

30 minutes ago, Nikasalts said:

Thank you. I'm making an emergency flight to US on Monday. Will see what proof I can get. 

His condition may eventually impact his work, but not for as long as it's maintained well, but I can prove he was very capable of making a living and he still will ....if I can support him with the recovery. 

Fingers crossed 

Hope he is found soon. In my eyes that would be a valid for you to be expedited. You will paper work from a dr saying he needs you there. It never hurts to try. 

[jercanuck 11]

Petitioner's Birth Certificate - is it needed to bring the original?  

 

Going through the list of items below to make sure to bring but this is the first time I have seen it asked for.  Wasn't uploaded to NVC as all they wanted was a copy of her passport.  

 

U.S. Consulate General Montreal, Canada - MTL (state.gov)

 

Has anyone been asked for this in the interview?  I don't think my spouse even has a copy of her birth certificate and doubt it will be in time for the interview even if she tried to get one. 

 

Thanks and good luck everyone.

[From_CAN_2_US 1,100]

47 minutes ago, jercanuck said:

Petitioner's Birth Certificate - is it needed to bring the original?  

 

Going through the list of items below to make sure to bring but this is the first time I have seen it asked for.  Wasn't uploaded to NVC as all they wanted was a copy of her passport.  

 

U.S. Consulate General Montreal, Canada - MTL (state.gov)

 

Has anyone been asked for this in the interview?  I don't think my spouse even has a copy of her birth certificate and doubt it will be in time for the interview even if she tried to get one. 

 

Thanks and good luck everyone.

You don’t need the original birth certificate of the petitioner, but MTL often asks to show the copy of the birth certificate. Look at consulate reviews for details.

 

If the petitioner doesn’t have a birth certificate, I recommend they get one. Going to City Hall in the city they were born should get you one immediately.

 

If it does take a while, atleast you will have it on the way, and can follow up with the missing document to MTL incase they need it. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[DGF 730]

9 hours ago, Nikasalts said:

I haven't been here for a while....trying to focus on something else but than waiting. 

I need your advice. 

My husband (in US) is going through some hardcore emotional roller-coaster.

He had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder about 10 years ago. He's been doing fine until now. Seems like he's going through a manic episode, not coping with reality well. His friend and the police are looking for him (I reported him as a missing person). 

He will very likely end up in hospital   I'm devastated I can't be there for him. 

Do you guys think our situation gives me a valid reason to request expedited consular interview? 

It's obvious he can't be alone anymore but I don't know how immigration looks at mental disorders. Is it going to affect out case? 

I'm horrified there's not much I can do from here, and he needs me there

Any word of advice? 

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband, I hope he is found soon. It's scary being away when your partner needs you. 

For the expedite, you should absolutely try because they can't say yes unless you do. Given Montreal's history I'd generally say that you would not qualify for an expedite, but they appear to be relaxing a little bit lately so it's worth a shot. 

For your case, it won't affect it unless he either commits a crime that makes him ineligible to sponsor a spouse (extremely unlikely as those are very intense crimes) or he can no longer financially support you (but you can overcome that with a joint sponsor). 

[SoLongWaiting 3]

Wondering if anyone can confirm if I would need to get a new police check (Canadian RCMP background check) completed if mine is older than 1 year?

The state dept site lists older than 1 year in one section, and older than 2 years in another section as to whether or not you will need a new one. My interview is coming up in just under a month, so want to ensure if I need another to get it done promptly.

 

Thanks.

[From_CAN_2_US 1,100]

21 minutes ago, SoLongWaiting said:

Wondering if anyone can confirm if I would need to get a new police check (Canadian RCMP background check) completed if mine is older than 1 year?

The state dept site lists older than 1 year in one section, and older than 2 years in another section as to whether or not you will need a new one. My interview is coming up in just under a month, so want to ensure if I need another to get it done promptly.

 

Thanks.

I wrote to the Montreal consulate to confirm this discrepancy and they confirmed the validity is 2 years now. People have successfully submitted certificates older than one year at their interviews.

 

Please update your timeline, so you can be added to our tracker.

Edited November 1, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[SoLongWaiting 3]

1 minute ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

I wrote to the Montreal consulate to confirm this discrepancy and they confirmed the validity is 2 years now. People have successfully submitted certificates older than one year at their interviews.

 

Please update your timeline, so you can be added to our tracker.

Oh thank goodness. Would have been another stressor trying to get this done in time. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. 
 

I’d add my info to the tracker but I’m not sure what some of the stages correspond to, to be honest.